I just have to share this with the list...but be warned; for those of us
in a certain demographic, this will be hard to take.
With my wife's car in the shop, she's been driving mine, so my '69
Sprite has once again become my daily driver, after a looong time hidden
in the garage (so it's not exactly been a common sight on the streets of
my neighborhood.)
(A little background here: I bought the car brand-new in 1969. The car
was new, I was young - 22 years old - and the world was at my feet, with
all things possible. Enter the millennium, so doing the math will tell
you that I'm now a 53-year-old driving a 31-year-old car.)
Back to my story. As I was pulling out of my cul-de-sac, I noticed a
group of the neighbors from the next block over gathered across the
street..you know, just hanging out. They were all ages; kids, teens, and
a couple of suburban moms in their thirties. Suddenly, a strange thing
happens: they're smiling, and pointing at me, and nodding their heads
with big grins and...waving? Yes, waving! I wave back without thinking
and continue on down the street with all the speed that 1275cc can
muster.
And then it hits me...light a bolt of lightning...like a ton of
bricks...like a knot of ice in my stomach. It's happened: I've
become...I've become...(I can't say this)...THE OLD GUY DOWN THE STREET
WITH THE FUNNY OLD CAR!
Remember? Sure you do; we all had one living somewhere near us when we
were growing up. For my generation, it was some nice old harmless guy
who'd kept that old Model T or Model A, and could be seen in his
driveway every once in a while washing it, or even more rarely might be
spotted *driving* it!
But now...AAAAAAARRGGGHHHH...I'm HIM!
I gotta go now...I need a stiff drink. And none of your frou-frou yuppie
drinks, bartender; just make it a gin and tonic. In fact...make it a
double.
Jim Algar (born 1947)
'69 Sprite Mk.IV (built 12-68)
Tempus fugit
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